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Axel nodded to Tala, relieved that she was all right. Then the blue-haired girl was shouting at him. A rope! Axel looked around, frantic. He just had the stupid stick, but thankfully some people had been using ropes for... whatever. He grabbed one only a few feet away and tossed the end to the blue-haired girl, who seemed to have a good hold on the girl he didn't recognize.

"Grab a hold of it, I'll pull you in!" Axel called. He hoped Tala would be able to climb out on her own.

The urge to just wade in and try to help the girls was maddening, but with the way the unfamiliar girl was struggling he thought it was best to let the blue-haired girl handle it. He didn't want to blunder into the strange girl with the mop of dark navy hair and see her go spinning off down the canal.

He looked back to his net and saw he didn't catch anything. "Jeez what's with this guy..." he said under his breath.

"Not have a chance? We all have a choice whether we want to take the initiative to apply ourselves to anything." He said seriously.

"B-but..." At the girl's insistance, Preacher grabbed the rope with both hands, but as soon as she let go of Zin, she sank. When she next broke the surface, she was inexorably being pulled to the edge of the canal. Even the sight of Axel on the other end could not make her let go of that rope. She breathed, spluttered, then felt hands grabbing her. She hit the stone with a thud and immediately retched.

It was water only. After all, she had swallowed and breathed in quite the amount. The air drifted around her, the slight breeze chilling her even further. Preacher never even wanted to see water again. With one hand, she dragged her long hair away from her neck. She avoided looking at Axel; maybe he wouldn't even notice her. After all, her dislike of him had blossomed into some odd form of competition, and she was at a distinct disadvantage her. Some might even say she owed him. Unacceptable.

"S-s**t. Need ta ********' sell this m-mop already." She mumbled. Preacher shivered, but forced herself upright, wringing out her hat with a gaint splash. She couldn't see anything past the navy hair that hung in her face. Grabbing it in one hand, she turned around shakily.

"Anyone-" Cough. "G-got anotha rope? C-curry boy?" Preacher could not leave Zin behind; help begets help.

Axel had never seen Preacher without his hat on, and he would never have expected Preacher to have such a glorious mane of hair. With Preacher so bedraggled, he didn't recognize the clothes either. He pulled the person he thought was a girl out of the canal and set her down, thumping her on the back while she retched. Axel had been retching and gagging himself after climbing out of the canal during the horse incident. He knew that feel. He didn't look too closely at the girl while she mumbled and grouched, not wanting to embarrass her. His hand lingered on her back. He was concerned about her, but there were still people in the water.

Happily, Alec had arrived. Axel looked over at him gratefully. "Can you help Tala? We can use this same rope for, er, Zinny." He'd overheard the blue-haired girl's name somewhere, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. Axel tossed the rope back towards Zinny and nodded to the new girl, still not really looking at her. "Help me pull, if you can."

La dee dah, just helping pull girls out of the gross canal, totally oblivious to Preacher and the bickering going on close by over swimming skills.

Another repeat of people landing in the water? Much to the teens horror, this certain was the case. Not only was Preacher in the water, but it seemed like she'd dragged Tala, and Zin down with based on what he'd seen unfold. "Jesus you guys, don't go diving into the canal..hold on. I see another rope." He trotted over, grabbing the discarded item, quick to return. They had 3 people to haul out, and his muscles still screamed from having helped the other day, and ran around town shooting flares to try and catch horses.

"Yea, I'll get Tala." He nodded in affirmation tossing the rope down to the girl. "Hey grab on." He dug his heels in, ignoring the pain shooting threw his frame. It was temporary anyway, and saving your friends took presidency to ones own discomfort.

"You uh..looked like a floundering fish...you okay?" He commented to Preacher as the long dark blue haired teen was pulled free. Apparently he was curry boy to this one. Blinking he turned his attention from the soaked cat-like individual given the mannerisms, to the task at hand. One down, two to go. Zinny had been easy to retrieve, given Axel was quick to haul her out. The girl was light for the most part. As was Tala he recalled, he'd been able to haul her out the days previous events. He was certain he could do it again.

"Alright..lets see if I can can do this." Alec thought to himself He grunted, pulling on the rope, bracing himself for the weight to come. "Up you go." He gritted his teeth some, glad they were all getting this under control. Together, no less.

Even if Preacher had been the one to knock the two females into the water to begin with...

Before Shakuntala could realize it, the chill that was slowly working its way up her form had hit her core. A shiver trembled her and she waited patiently for a rope to be tossed her way. The feeling was overshadowed by concern for the others. Even if she felt she couldn't do anything in her current predicament, that did not halt any worries she had. When she heard Alec, a wash of relief overcame her. Not only was it great having the two others to safety, but now she could be as well.

Raising an arm as an a-okay, she clamped both hands on the rope and steadied herself to climb upward. While she wasn't a heavy, she wasn't a lightweight either, and probably proved difficult to yank up. Shakuntala did put her own back into it though and, before she knew it, she broke the top of the canal and threw herself over onto the ground beside it with a huff. Her arms and legs trembled with chills and aches. But, more than anything, she was glad she was on dry land.

"T-T-T... T-T-Thank you," she managed to mumble out between her chattering teeth and her unfortunate stutter.

Even if she hadn't been the lightest, he really didn't care. As long as the rope didn't slip, or he dropped the chattering dark haired girl back in...Once she was safely on dry land, the last of the 3 to make it up he exhaled a sigh of relief. Grateful Axel had been there as well to help. "Well good morning to you guys as well.." He muttered quietly.

Alec sat back, letting himself drop a bit ungracefully really onto the ground. Heave a slow huff sound rubbing at his arms. "No, its no problem really..I'm just glad everyones safe." He let himself lie back, sort of staring upwards with a small smile on his face. "Do you not know how to swim?" he tipped his chin up to Preacher blinking. "I'll have to show you sometime, its not that hard. I taught my little sister last summer." He smiled paitently at the other, no longer really picking fun. For his efforts the dog friend he'd had with him the whole time lapped at his face first causing him to laugh. Soon the female dog was walking around giving all's present faces, (or hands) too properly lick and bathing them. As she nosed at them, it was if to say she was glad they were fine too.

"Oh, I'm Alec by the way. I'm not sure I've met you other two officially?" He asked of the blue haired girl as well, only recognizing her because she'd been with Lenore.